The present invention relates to systems for identifying the location of mobile transmitters such as cell phones/tablets and in particular to a geolocation system that provides improved privacy to the consumers using mobile transmitters in a geolocation area.
Geolocation systems allow approximate tracking of the location of mobile wireless devices in an environment for any location where GPS signals are unavailable, weak, or in need of augmentation. Such systems may be used, for example, to locate critical personnel (such as medical personnel in a hospital or airline workers in an airport) or may be used to provide additional services to consumers in a retail environment including navigation or localized promotions such as coupons.
Geolocation can be implemented using the wireless access points and routers also used to establish a local area wireless network communicating with such mobile wireless devices, for example, using the IEEE 802.11 standard. By measuring the signal strength, signal phase and/or reception angle of wireless data communicated between a mobile wireless device and multiple access points, the location of the mobile wireless device may be established by signal-based location.
While geolocation can provide substantial benefits to consumers and other individuals, unauthorized tracking runs counter to a consumers' desire to control data about themselves. In particular, consumers can worry about systems that uniquely identify their wireless devices in a way that may allow aggregation with other information obtained from the wireless device.